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Oshkosh committee hears split views on UTV/ATV use; asks for public poll before recommending ordinance
Summary
After presentations from local riders, businesses and law enforcement, the Transportation Committee did not make a binding recommendation on allowing UTVs/ATVs on city streets. Members agreed to gather broader public input via a survey and to draft potential ordinance language if results suggest support.
The Oshkosh City Transportation Committee on Sept. 9 discussed whether to allow utility-terrain vehicles (UTVs) and all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) on city streets, heard pro- and anti-expansion public comment, and agreed to seek wider public input before making a formal recommendation to the Common Council.
Dave Schmidt, president of Fox River Wheelers and the UTV ATV Alliance of Winnebago County, told the committee he supports a locally tailored ordinance and urged the city to exclude four-lane highways while permitting UTV/ATV routes that connect to county trails. "We presented a proposal that would eliminate access at Highways 41, 44, Ninth Ave, Highway 21, Highway 45, and Highway 76," Schmidt said, adding that clubs and volunteers want clear, enforceable rules.
Tom Van Zealand, owner of Team 1 Power Sports & Marine in Oshkosh, said his customer base is shifting to family-oriented UTV use and argued the machines bring economic activity to small businesses. "As a business owner, we have seen a lot of growth from that, and it's been safe growth," Van Zealand said.
Police and public-safety officials and some committee members emphasized enforcement concerns, notably how operating-while-intoxicated (OWI/OWI) enforcement intersects with DNR statutes and whether a city's ordinance can require a driver's license, seat belts and insurance above state minimums. Chief Smith (police) flagged OWI enforcement as an issue that currently follows DNR procedures rather than the state traffic OWI standard; he said a strong local ordinance should make enforcement practicable for officers.
Committee members and presenters discussed model ordinances from Winnebago County and the city of Berlin and identified key elements for a local law: restrictions on routes (to avoid limited-access highways and major high-speed corridors), licensing/age limits (the committee discussed 16 as a likely minimum for unaccompanied operation), insurance minimums (Winnebago County's model uses $10,000 property damage and $25,000 bodily injury minimums), and prohibitions on cruising residential neighborhoods. The state and WisDOT/DNR processes were described as necessary if the city wants to designate connecting state highways as ATV routes.
No binding recommendation was made. Instead, the committee asked staff to draft a community survey and return with results and an ordinance outline. Several committee members said they wanted clearer public input before moving forward. "More data is always better than less data," said one committee member during the discussion, and the committee agreed to create a carefully worded poll that explains possible ordinance guardrails, such as licensing, route limits and enforcement provisions.
Next steps identified at the meeting include preparing a public survey in coordination with the city's media team and meeting participants, reviewing Berlin and Winnebago County ordinances as templates, and returning to the committee with draft ordinance language and poll results for further deliberation.
